Reviews by Jeffo:

Got this one from cpferris in a trade a while back. Been looking forward to trying this one out for quite some time. Cheers!

From a bomber into a snifter. 2011 bottleBottle no.27 Iced in Steel Kegs

APPEARANCE: Pours out clear dark brown, much like the other variants, though perhaps a touch darker, and yields a one finger, medium looking, creamy, tan head with very good retention. Black body with no carbonation evident. Head fades to a full wisp and clings to the sides of the glass. A ring remains until the end and leaves some splotchy dots of lacing down the glass. Nice head, but still a little too light and thin for top marks in the style.

SMELL: Really big. Comes flying out at you from the glass. Really decadent too. Roasted malts, oak, lots of vanilla and sweet cream with molasses and dark chocolate on the nose. Bourbon as well, but not boozy, with plenty of sweet barrel components, molasses and cream, with dark chocolate as well. Interesting, enticing, and really forthcoming. Great.

TASTE: Really good here too. Roasted grain, oak and sweet cream up front. Caramel and molasses sweetness as well, into a flavorful and barrel forward swallow. Bourbon, oak and sweet cream from the barrels with some roasted, bitter dark chocolate as balance. Lots of sweet barrel flavors with a roasted and bitter base, but very little booze on this one. Bold, well balanced, and very enjoyable.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Enough weight on the palate, semi-creamy, goes down okay and finishes slightly sticky. No burn at the swallow, but a touch of heat lingers on the palate. Good, but would need to be a bit heavier and silkier for top marks.

OVERALL: This is excellent. The look is still not as dark and menacing as I'd like for an imperial stout, especially an iced version of an imperial stout, but that's a very, very minor detail at this point. The nose was just incredible, with lots of wonderful barrel aromas and some lovely sweet and chocolaty notes rounding it out, and the flavor was bold, interesting and very well balanced. If the feel were a touch bigger, this would be other-worldly. Still, we live on this planet, and this is an absolutely stellar creation. Thanks again for this one cpferris. Best Eclipse beer to date for sure. Would absolutely love to drink this again. (2,333 characters)

More User Reviews:

For my 2000th review, I'm going to re-review a bottle for the second time. Drank at March Madness during the Marquette beatdown of the team with the best record in the nation (Murray St.) to advance to the sweet 16.

Pours out the dark brown and mild black that all the Eclipse beers have going for them. Thin 1/4" head of tan. Heavier chocolate notes in the aroma, bourbon is nice but not massive and hot on the nose as usual as well.

Taste, very smooth, if this is 13.5% alcohol, you wouldn't ever know it. Still more chocolate, caramel and coconut slips in there at times.

Such a silky mouthfeel, without being challenging at all. Less heat than some beers with half the alcohol. Amazing flavor without becoming a sludgy viscosity stout, nothing in the realm of thin, but just simply great. I came in expecting thick, heat etc. . . but was pleasantly impressed with how it brought out the flavors I liked (chocolate, caramel, bourbon, oak) while keeping the heft, sweet and heat to its usual well reserved place. Found it to be one of my favorite Eclipse beers out there. Would love to see Todd do an Iced Brandy Eclipse one of these days.

Nose is fudge, mocha, chocolate, molasses with some light booze overtones. Very robust, aromatic, and deep.

Opens roasted malt bitterness combined with chocolate, fudge, cocoa powder and molasses sweetness. Dark coffee towards the middle and end. Mounds of smoke. Roasted malt in the finish and aftertaste. Decent, but definitely not even close to the best of the bunch.

Medium bodied with low carbonation. Oily and slick in the mouth and surprisingly a bit thin. Messy finish with a lingering aftertaste. A bit abrasive in the carbonation also. Still decent but a bit of a letdown.

Given the rarity of this bottle and the fact that it was given out as a gift to Eclipse Release party attendees, I'm a little disappointed by this one. Body is surprisingly thin and the icing just really didn't impart a whole lot into this beer. Still solid but definitely not worth the hype. (1,093 characters)

light subtle sweetness with a chocolate milk like scent. very smooth. not much barrel aging on the nose.

insanely smooth. a great mix of chocolate and candy with light barrel aged integration. the barrel aging is very subtle but really blends well making this very easy. the alcohol was nearly non existant.

very smooth, mild carbonation. no booze at all.

this was very impressive. didnt quite remind me of the other eclipses, but more chocolate and smoothness. (556 characters)

A- pitch black with small dissipating head. What lingered looked like bubbles at the bed of a marsh, like you'd have to pop them with your finger.

S- Chocolate, bourbon. Just really nice is all I can say, no burning ethanol smell.

T- I can't believe how smooth this is for how large of a beer it is. No overpowering flavors, just really well rounded. I like this beer much more than the sweet boozy bombs that a lot of barrel-aged stouts are. Sorry, but I don't care for Black Tuesday.

Big thanks goes out to aasher for sharing this one during the One Year Anniversary of My Wreck Tasting! Bottle #195 of 209? Served from bottle into a Crooked Stave ‘Crooked Line’ tulip. Poured pitch black with a minimal tan head. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of roasted malt, sweet malt, dark chocolate, dark fruit, caramel, vanilla, wood, sweet alcohol, and raisin. The flavor was of sweet malt, dark fruit, vanilla, wood, sweet alcohol, caramel, and raisin. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a fairly great brew. The complexity on this brew was nothing short of mind-blowing if I’m honest. There was so much going on upon inspection in both the nose and flavor that I never knew what I was going to get next. What I did know was that it was going to be enjoyable. There was no bite from the alcohol at all as it more blended in with all the other things going on. A really well done brew that I’m happy I got the opportunity to try. Thanks for this one Al! (1,054 characters)

Jason opened this one after the Eclipse release party, because apparently we weren't drunk enough.

This one looks a touch more viscous than regular Eclipse, with similar color and carbonation.

The nose has a huge and decadent dark chocolate character, while bourbon is more of a background note (think liquor-infused chocolate candies). Alcohol isn't particularly noticeable, and oxidation is minimal. There's a trace of dark fruit.

I was expecting the licorice notes of Totality to be amplified on the palate, but they're actually pretty mild; a big dark chocolate richness has taken over. Bourbon flavors are present but not dominant, lending an integrated caramel undertone. It's a touch more boozy and sweet than regular Eclipse, but not by much; ultimately it's fairly dry and mellow for such a big beer, and should appeal to people that find beers like Bourbon County Stout or Black Tuesday to be too sweet or hot.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, but it's quite nice as it turns out. Not as over-the-top as it sounds, but a very balanced sipping beer. (1,073 characters)

This beer pours a dark mahogany color with almost no head. The smell is rather sweet with a mild bourbon note. I'm also getting dark chocolate and some dark fruit. I didn't think the taste was particularly special. I would have liked to have more barrel show up here. Sweet roasted malt teams up with the bourbon and some dark fruit. I would say it was pleasant, but not particularly special. The finish is roasty and still a bit sweet. There wasn't much carbonation in this beer. Definitely wish there was more barrel in the taste, but I still enjoyed it and it was a treat to try. (631 characters)

Thought id do new years right by cracking open this guy. Bottle 102 of 120 given out at the eclipse release party.Iced totality in steel barrels than had eclipse Elijah Craig 18 blended in according to the brewer. Sits around 12 to 15% ABV

22oz bottle poured into 4 snifters

A- Almost no head but a ring of brown bubbles on the rim. Looks a lot like the other eclipse variation, blacked out center with dark brown around the edges. Not as thick as I was expecting

S- great! huge chocolate nose, roasted malts, sweet chocolate. Smells a like a bigger eclipse. (well which is exactly what it is essential). a hint of barrel, not as much as I was hoping though.

T- tons of flavor on this guy, lots of bitter chocolate and many layers of flavor. Doesnt taste like any other variation. Each sip brings something new and different. Very slight burn behind the dark chocolate, should be smooth with a bit of age. Slight barrel in the back, wishing for more.

M- mouthfeel is very good, nice carbonation and almost no alcohol burn as I was expecting.

O- very tasty brew, a bit different than I was expecting. I wish there was more barrel on this guy that's what makes these beers special. Would love to try an iced grand cru for sure. In a few months this guys will be tasting amazing. look forward to trying more usig this method. (1,330 characters)